Unfinished Business
by WarCriminal127123
Summary: Chapter 5 up. 30 years in the future has something changed. Chief is reunited with humans and is forced into the past. Not my characters. The story is on hiatus at the moment, there may be more but I'm not sure yet.
1. The Discovery

The crew of the Pillar of Autumn II is searching for new hyperspace routes when something interesting appears on radar.

"Sir we have an object approaching our position," said the private.

" Estimated time until visual?" asked the Colonel.

"Ten seconds Sir," replied the private.

"Activate stealth generators," instructed the Colonel.

The ship turned invisible. "Colonel we have an incoming transmission which is being played on a loop," said the private.

"Put it on the speakers," instructed the Colonel.

The message began to play. "Hello my name is Cortana, I am an A.I. with the Earth Alliance. In this vessel Spartan John 117, A.K.A. Master Chief has been in a state of cryo-sleep for thirty years, ten months, and fifteen days, we wish to be rescued and returned to Earth."

"That's the end of the message. Sir, request permission to send in the rescue team," said the private.

"Permission granted. Boys we found the Chief, we're getting a promotion for this," said the Colonel.


	2. The Rescue

The rescue crew were deployed to their shuttle (called the Heron, looks just like a Pelican but is space worthy). "Every rescue soldier on board the Heron, hop to it, on the double," directed the Colonel.

Once every rescue soldier was on board they left for the floating vessel. Once on board the floating vessel two soldier were assigned to guard the Heron, while the other eight went and searched the vessel. It took two minutes before they found the Chief. "Who goes there?" asked a women's voice.

"Rescue soldiers with the Earth Alliance, my name is Sergeant Rodrigez," replied a soldier.

The computer terminal in the room activated, there was a shape of a women standing, she stood about five inches high, "Hello my name is Cortana, I guess you got my message," she said.

"Yeah we received it loud and clear," replied Rodrigez, "would you mind opening the cryo-sleep chamber?"

"Yeah sure, but he's been in there so long you might have to put him in a healing tank," said Cortana.

The cryo-sleep chamber opened and the Chief stood up, "How long was I out?"

"Too long Chief," said Rodrigez.

"In years," said the chief.

"Thirty years Chief," said Cortana.

The Chief took Cortana's data chip and plugged it into his head. The Chief then toppled over, "Come on Chief we've got to get you to a healing tank," said Rodrigez.


	3. Back on Board

The rescue squad brought the Chief on board the Pillar of Autumn II. "Welcome aboard Chief," said Rodrigez.

"It's nice to have gravity back,"said the Chief.

"Wouldn't you know it," said Rodrigez, laughing.

"Anyway Chief, we have to bring you to the med lab," said Rodrigez.

Rodrigez was leading the way and while they were walking Cortana said " Chief ask them to put me into their database so I can update, please," said Cortana.

"While I'm in the med bay could you plug Cortana into your database so she can update?" asked the Chief.

"Yeah I'm sure that the Colonel would allow that, after a diagnostic is run on her, we want to make sure that she didn't contract a virus," said Rodrigez, "Here we are, the med lab, just give Cortana to Bill."

A young man walked over "Hello I'm Bill," said the man.

"He's yours now doc.," said Rodrigez.

"Okay Chief I'm gonna ask you to strip down to your boxers," said Bill.

"Could you take Cortana to the Colonel and plug her into your mainframe so she can update?" asked the Chief.

"Yeah, I'll unplug her from your helmet after you take it off and enter the healing tank," said Bill.

The Chief slid a data chip into a second slot on his helmet while Bill wasn't looking and Cortana transferred herself onto the new chip, the Chief then slid the new chip into the med lab's computer and Cortana transferred her self into the mainframe.

"First some preliminary questions, What is your name?" asked Bill.

"My name is John," said the Chief.

"Okay good enough, take off your armour," said Bill.

John stripped down to his boxers put his armour on the med lab table and stepped into the healing tank. "Thank you," said Bill.

Cortana watched John through the camera system when he entered the tank, she admired his extremely pale skin and she thought 'Oh John, you have saved my life so many times, it is too bad that I am not human, for if I was human I could love you,' if she could've she would've cried.

The healing tank activated and John lost consciousness.

Hours later

The Chief regained consciousness, he was lying naked on a med table. He quickly covered himself, blushing. He found clothes were set out, so he got dressed, it was a basic military uniform: camo pants, a dark green shirt, a camo hat, black boots and a backpack. Over the intercom a voice said "John we set up an obstacle course for you. We want to make sure you haven't gotten rusty."


	4. The Course

Cortana was watching John, she snooped around and found out that the course that John was to run, was a simulation and was being video taped and broadcasted throughout the ship's monitors so that the soldiers on board may be taught how to survive in extreme conditions.

John was going through the contents of his backpack, he found a magnum with five clips, a scope, a tent, a book of waterproof matches, and enough rations for five days. A voice came over the intercom "this obstacle course will take place over a period of five days. At the end of a days training segment there will be a rest area where you are to pitch your tent and start a stable fire, the next morning you are to pack up your tent and move to the next days segment. Understood?"

"Yeah," replied John.

"Oh yes, one more thing, you are to climb to the tip of the mountain so you may want to find a coat," said the voice.

"What mountain?" asked John.

"Pick up the binoculars off the ground beside you and look in front of you," said the voice.

John picked up the binoculars and looked. "Those mountains, not a problem," he said.

"We took the liberty of testing others, they never made it and hit their panic button, yours is located on the pair of binoculars you just picked up," said the voice, "good luck John."

Cortana traced the voice, it was the Colonel's. Through the camera system Cortana kept a close eye on the Chief and Bill. Bill removed the data chip he thought Cortana to be on from John's helmet and smashed it. She thought to herself 'Wait till John hears about this, I'll contact him tonight in his tent that way no one will see me.'


	5. A Day at the Course

John came up to the first challenge of the obstacle course. It was basically a normal boot camp obstacle course. There were tires, a place to crawl under barbed wire, a firing range, a live fire course, and at the very end a wall with a rope tied to the top to climb over it. A person approached John, "Hello John I am the drill Sergeant and you are to do as I say because the Colonel commanded it. Understood?" he asked.

"Yes drill Sergeant!" yelled John.

"Drop and give me one hundred," said the drill Sergeant.

John did the hundred push-ups with ease. "Now give me a hundred sit-ups," instructed the drill Sergeant.

John also did the sit-ups with ease. "See that bar over there?" asked the drill Sergeant.

"Yeah," replied John.

"You know what to do," said the drill Sergeant.

"Yeah a hundred chin-ups," said John.

John did the chin ups but he had a hard time with the last twenty but he did it. "Good continue with the course," said the dill Sergeant.

John got to the tire drill, he did it quickly then proceeded quickly to the next. He came up on the barbed wire and started it, he quickly crawled to the other side, he then ran to the firing range. "Hello John, you may eat your lunch ration now if you want," said an instructor.

"No thanks, I'm saving up," said John.

"Very well, let us begin. The aim of this firing range is for you to be able to score seventy-five points with three clips and a sniper rifle. Here's the catch: they are moving targets. A bullseye is worth ten points, the ring around that is worth five points and the outside ring is worth one point. There are four bullets per clip and good luck, here is the sniper," finished the instructor handing John a sniper rifle. John lined up the sniper for a bullseye, he shot, "Ten points," said the instructor.

He shot again, "twenty points, you're good," said the instructor.

"When you're in the field for as long as I have been, you learn to make every shot count," John said.

Cortana was watching John's progress then she noticed something, John was bugged with a microphone. She thought to herself 'I'll have to deactivate the bug before I talk to him.'

John was at sixty points, with all perfect bullseyes. He took aim at a barrel close to the end of the range, he thought he noticed something behind the barrel but didn't see it again so, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, so he took aim at a target, he shot, another perfect bullseye. "Hmm... I have an idea, for the next shot try it blindfolded," said the instructor.

John took a last look at the range, put the blindfold on, aimed at where he thought a target to be, and shot, but when he did he heard a scream he recognized all too well, he ripped the blindfold off and yelled "Jackal!!"

Cortana looked at the programming, 'Hmm...' she thought 'there doesn't seem to be a jackal in the programming, at that point anyway, which means that that jackal was real.' Sure enough the alarm went off, but John being in a sealed room couldn't hear it. Cortana started to check the ship for a solution, she found one in the armoury. There were some humanlike robots connected to a terminal so Cortana took over one of them. She looked around and found an SMG, she picked it up and started toward the simulation room. She put her back to a wall and peeked around the corner, she saw three hunters wearing red armour. She thought to herself 'What are the covenant doing here.' Then the Colonel walked up to the hunters, "What are you doing standing around? Patrol the ship," he instructed.

The hunters started to patrol, Cortana hid in the shadows as a hunter passed. Cortana had an idea, she ran towards the Colonel, she called out "Sir, I wish to speak to you about our guests."

"Who activated you?" asked the Colonel.

"One of the jackals Sir," replied Cortana.

"Speak then," said the Colonel.

"I've realized that a couple of covenant soldiers have entered the training area, how long do you think it will take for Master Chief to figure out that they are not supposed to be there?" stated Cortana.

Back inside the training area: "Ahh, you missed," said the instructor.

"We are being attacked by covenant soldiers and you are worrying about the targets," John said as he shot a grunt.

"Bullseye," said the instructor.

John just noticed that the bullet he shot the grunt with must've went through the grunt and hit the target. The instructor went over to John and tried to take away the sniper rifle, John grabbed the instructors arm twisted it and knocked him out, then John heard "Error, Error, Error."

The simulation shut down and all the stuff John had except the sniper rifle were still with him. "It was a simulation," John said to himself.

He was tapped on the shoulder, he turned around, he was held at gunpoint by a brute, "Yeah that was a simulation, but I ain't," it said.

John was knocked out.

Back with Cortana: the Colonel's communicator rang, he answered "Yes, uh-huh, yeah, okay, bye,"said the Colonel.

"So Colonel, how long do you think it will take for Master Chief to figure out tht those covenant soldiers shouldn't be there?" asked Cortana.

"About now," replied the Colonel.

"And why is that Colonel?" asked Cortana.

"He's been captured."


End file.
